Trailers which are primarily intended for use by sportsmen for camping, hunting, and fishing are well known to those skilled in the art. None of them, however, offers a combination of strength, low weight, and versatility which is desirable in such a sports trailer.
Thus, in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,783, Walter Bird teaches that ". . . camping trailers presently manufactured are generally of aluminum and/or plywood construction, and are characterized by the presence of a very large number of joints, reinforcing elements, etc. Such trailers are relatively heavy and, because they are normally double-walled, have relatively little interior room . . . " Since 1959, when Bird's patent issued, many trailers have been provided which are made of fiberglass rather than aluminum or plywood; however, inasmuch as these trailers also have double-walled construction, they suffer from many of the disadvantages of the older models and, furthermore, still do not offer the usage flexibility desired in today's market environment.
One unsuccessful attempt to solve these problems was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,601 of Kuchenbecker et al. (1959), which describes a trailer vehicle with a combined, unitary, frame and tubular body structure which is formed of corrugated tubular sheet metal, Although the trailer of Kuchenbecker et al. is claimed to be relatively strong and rigid, it also is relatively heavy. The sheet metal body is prone to corrosion. Furthermore, the body of the Kuchenbecker et al. trailer cannot readily be removed or modified without compromising the structural integrity of the trailer.
Another unsuccessful attempt to solve these problems was described in two patents issued to Beckley. In 1959 (U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,233) and 1963 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,973) Benton Beckley described a molded shell trailer body containing a main upper body shell section and a main lower body shell section, each of which apparently had hollow walls. Beckley's trailer, however, did not contain a separate frame. Thus, this trailer had a relatively low strength/weight ratio and, furthermore, could not readily be modified for different uses without compromising its structural integrity.
In 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,441 was issued to Donald J. McCleary for a motorcycle trailer containing a tubular chassis and an integral molded body. The McCleary trailer is designed to enable a user to sleep in and/or transport goods in the trailer; it cannot be modified for different uses, however. Furthermore, it is believed that McCleary's trailer has a relatively low strength/weight ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,392 issued to Cooper in 1988. This patent described a molded boat trailer which suffered from many of the disadvantages of the prior art. The strength/weight ratio of this trailer was relatively low, and its structure could not readily be modified to adapt it to different uses or, for that matter, different boat-hull configurations.
To the best of applicants' knowledge, no one in the prior art has provided a sports trailer which is relatively inexpensive to make and use, which is strong, aerodynamic, and lightweight, and which can be used for a multiplicity of purposes.
It is an object of this invention to provide a sports trailer system which may be used for many different purposes such as, e.g., hunting, fishing, camping/sleeping, transport of different material and/or vehicles, and the like.
It is another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer which is both lightweight and strong.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a modular and transformable sports trailer system offering versatility of use over land and water.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer whose frame is watertight and buoyant and, thus, will not sink in water.
It is another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer which has a shape that provides relatively little wind resistance.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer which is relatively inexpensive to produce.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer which is relatively inexpensive to use and maintain.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a sports trailer whose ground height can be adjusted.